Former Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District chief David Roy MacBean sentenced to 8 years in prison

A former fire chief will serve 8 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony theft and embezzlement charges.

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David Roy MacBean booking photo.

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GOLDEN, Colo. - The former chief of the Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District will serve 8 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony theft and embezzlement charges.

David Roy MacBean, 42, pled guilty in April to two counts of theft of $20,000 or more and one count of embezzlement. All are felonies.

Friday, he was sentenced to six years total for both of the theft counts and an additional two years for the embezzlement count. The theft counts also carry an additional mandatory 5-years of probation, according to Pam Russell, spokeswoman for the District Attorney.

As part of the guilty plea, MacBean also agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $647,351.

MacBean was charged with making unauthorized purchases using the department's credit card and bank accounts between January 2010 and March 2013, according to the District Attorney's Office. The personal purchases were made through PayPal, Amazon.com, at Big R and at various other stores.

At the Friday sentencing hearing, prosecutors outlined MacBean's spending history, including as an example that in July, 2012, he spent over $42,000 shopping online for musical equipment, electronics, wireless products, PCs and other items.

Prosecutors were asking for a sentence involving prison time and restitution. Several firefighters were called as witnesses to talk about the loss of public trust and the financial impact of the crime on the volunteer department.

In an overflowing courtroom, MacBean told District Judge Jeffrey Pilkington that he took complete responsibility for his actions and that he had betrayed the fire fighters and the entire department, their families, the community, his family and friends.

MacBean's father, brother and a psychiatrist also testified that the former chief is remorseful and has undergone treatment for addictive behavior. The defense was seeking a sentence that did not include any prison time.

The Inter-Canyon Fire Protection District is located in the Jefferson County foothills.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.